Flume.



L. R. HINMAN.

FLUME- APPLICATION FIL ED JUNE I3, 1911.

Patented May 22, 1917.,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. 2/

WITNESSES H memo/2 Zeray 1 -15mm ATTORNEYS r r: mmms P512125cowruomurna. wAsNmc L. R. HINMAN.

FLUME.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13. 1911.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS m: noun: runs m. "(mu-mo" wumm: mu. ix'c,

LEROY RACE HINMAN, 0F DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO THE FLUMEIMPROVEMENT COMPANY, OF DENVER, COLORADO, A. CORPORATION OFCOLORADO.

FLUME.

Patented May 22, 1917.

Application filed June 13, 1911. serial No. 632,970.

T0 at whom it may concern .Be it known that I, LEROY R. HINMAN, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Denver, in the county ofDenver and State of Colorado, have invented a new and Improved Flume, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in fiumes for carryingwater, logs, ore or other material from point to point.

An object of this invention is to provide a fluine constructed of sheetmetal, without the use of rivets or solder at the joints, and which willbe still water-tight and without projections, so that the material orarticles passing through the fiume will not catch on the sides thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for joining thesections of the fiume together, which will be simple in construction,inexpensive to manufacture, and which can be readily set up and takendown for removal or repair.

These and further objects, together with the construction andcombination of parts, will be more fully described hereinafter andparticularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forminga part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views, and in which Figure 1 is afragmentary perspective view;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section,

showing the'flume empty and without buffer extensions on the hangers;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing the connection of the supportingmembers with the hangers;

Fig. 4: is a detail section showing the connection between two adj acentsections of the flume, with the means for securing the sectionstogether; i

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective View of one of the supportingmembers of the fiume broper;

Fig. 6 shows amodified form of supporting means; and

Fig. 7 shows the device with buifers therein, whereby the same can beused to float logs or ties without damaging the fiume proper.

Referring more particularly to the separate parts of this invention asembodied in the form shown in the drawings, 1 indicates suitable uprightstandards, on which are mounted longitudinally-extending beams 2. Thesebeams may be of wood, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and 7, or may be in theform of I-beams, as shown in Fig. 6. In either case, they are usedto-support hangers 3, arranged at suitable spaced intervals, whichhangers overlie the tops of the beams, and are bent to engage the sidesof the beams, so as to secure them in position. The hangers are arrangedin pairs to engage the beams 2, which are arranged in parallel reaches,so as to support the flume proper 41 between them.

Each of the hangers is provided with an opening 5, through whichextends, in each pair of opposite hangers, the ends of supporting bars6, which are shown to be somewhat U-shaped in form, to correspond withthetransverse U-shaped section of the flume. The supporting bars 6 areof rather peculiar form, as will be seen by'reference to Fig. 4, in thatthey are provided with an intermediate cylindrical body portion 7, whichis in the form of a curved rod, from which extends on opposite sides andin the same general direction, flanges 8 and 9, these flanges beingspaced apart from each other to form a channel. It will be noted thatthe body portion 7projects into this channel to form an arcuate humpindicated at 10, which is for a purpose to be described.

The channel between the flanges 8 and 9 is adapted to receive beads 11and 12, formed on the ends of two juxtaposed sections 13 and let of theflame. These beads are formed by bending the sheet metal of the Home ina channel form, with the chan' nel or bead 11 larger than the channel orbead 12, so as to encircle the same. That is to say, the channel 12 fitsinto the channel 11, so that no portion of it will extend beyond theinner surface of the sections 13 and 14, and thus no portion will extendinto the fluine.

It will be seen that the rod 7 contacts with the outer channel orbead 11at three points, indicated at 15, 16 and 17, which points,'however, arecoextensive with the entire length of the rod, and thus form lines ofcontact which form a more secure support than would otherwise beobtainable.

For the purpose of securing the ends of the sections together inconnection with the and which fits into the channel 12 formed in theoverlapping end of the section 14:. This cleat 18 has a trapezoidalcross-section corresponding to the cross-sections of the channels 11 and12 so that when it is forced into the channe1'12, it will tend to wedgethe sides of the channels 12 and 11 together.

In order to force the cleat 18 into the channel 12, and thus secure thejuxtaposed sections of the flume together, the hangers 3 are eachprovided with an inwardly-projecting extension 19, which is inclined atan angle to the horizontal portion of the hanger, so that it will tendto wedge the cleat 18 toward the bar 6 when the latter is drawn up, oneach of the hangers, by means of nuts 20, which engage a screwthreadedportion 21 on the ends of the bar, the flanges 8 and 9 being cut awayfor this purpose.

r In case it is desired to use the flume for floating logs or ties andconveying them from point to point, it may be necessary toprovidesuitable buffers, to prevent the ends of the logs, especially in goingaround curves, from striking the sides of the flume. In such an event,the extensions 19 may be projected along the side of the flume for agreater length, as indicated in Fig. 7 and provided with suitablebuffing means, which in this instance .is shown in the form of runningboards 22, extending along the sides of the flume for a sufficientdepth, corresponding to the position which the floating logs wouldoccupy in the flume.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a simple and efficient flumeconstructed of a series of U-shaped sheet-metal sections overlappingeach other, with the ends provided with interlocking channels forced together in a detachable manner by U-shaped bars and cleats,which in turnare urged and clamped toward each other by their con nection withhangers supporting the flume as a whole.

While I have shown several embodiments of my invention, I do not wish tobe limited to the specific details thereof, but desire to be protectedin various changes, alterations and modifications which may come withinthe scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The combination with a plurality of hangers, ofbars suspended from said hangers, a' flume supported by said bars, saidflume comprising a plurality of sheetmetal sections, the ends of saidsections being provided with transversely-extending channels, thechannel at the end of one section nesting in the channel at the end ofthe next adjacent section, said bars being thickened throughout theirlength, and having flanges extending from the sides thereof in spacedrelation from each other so as to form channels, one of said channels ineach grip the ends of the sections between them. 7

2. The combination with a plurality of hangers, of bars suspended fromsaid hangers, a flume supported by said bars, said flume comprising aplurality of sheet-metal sections, the ends of said sections beingprovided with transversely-extending channels, the channel at the end ofone section nesting in the channel at the end of the next adjacentsection, said bars being enlarged throughout their length, so as to havea cylindrical cross section, and having fiattened flanges extending fromthe cylindrical portion of the bars in spaced relation from each otherso as to form a channel between them, one of said channels in each ofsaid sections extending into the channels in said bars, saidlast-mentioned channel in said section contacting with said bar in threelines, and being spaced apart therefrom at other points, and a cleatextending into the other channel of each of said sections, so that a barand a cleat will be located on opposite sides of each juncturebetwe'entwo sections, so as to grip the ends of the sections between them.

3. A supporting bar, comprising acurved cylindrical bar having onopposite sides parallel flanges forming a channel into which projects aportion of the bar to form a hump in the bottom of the channel. 7

4. A supporting bar, comprising a curved bar provided on opposite sideswith parallel flanges forming a channel having a hump in its bottom, theflanges terminating short of the ends of the bar and the said ends beLEROY RACE HINMAN.

WVitnesses:

' S. F. DUTTON,

J. B HARRlNGTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner ot iatepta,

- Washington, D. 0. e

